MONROE, CT — Superintendent Joseph Kobza announced that Monroe Elementary School third grade teacher Sean Serafino is the 2024-25 Monroe Public Schools Teacher of the Year during a faculty meeting held at the school Tuesday.
“This is a well-deserved honor,” Kobza said. “Whenever you go into Mr. Serafino’s classroom, you witness authentic and creative learning. Sean also shares his passion of teaching with his colleagues, and has presented to our new teachers on making data-informed decisions in the classroom. He clearly loves his craft and is a valuable resource to all those around him.”
Monroe Elementary School Principal Kelly Svendsen praised Serafino for his contributions to the school community.
“Mr. Serafino is an incredible teacher,” she said. “He is the kind of teacher who takes initiative to stay up to date with most relevant and effective teaching practices for his students. Whether it be a district initiative or something he learns on his own, Mr. Serafino tries new things and implements innovative instructional practices that get results. He does it both willingly and unassumingly.”
“When I want to be inspired, I visit Sean’s room,” she added. “He goes the extra step to get to know his students both as learners and as people, and the whole classroom community reaps the reward of his investment. I feel so lucky to work alongside an educator of Sean’s caliber, and I am proud that he is a teacher at Monroe Elementary!”
Serafino, who has been a teacher at Monroe Elementary since 2005, will be officially recognized at the district end-of-year celebration at Tashua Knolls in Trumbull on June 5.
He was previously recognized with the 2016 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the 2016 Connecticut Science Teachers Association Excellence in Science Teaching Award.
In addition to his classroom duties, Serafino also serves as his school’s technology integrator and science coach. An adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University, Serafino has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses to pre-service teachers and administrators.
The Teacher of the Year committee, consisting of previous teachers of the year as well as building principals, received 146 nominations for 72 different teachers this year. Nominations came from teachers, administrators, paraeducators, secretaries, parents and students.
Parents, past and present, highlighted the impact Serafino has had on their children over the years. In her nomination, one former parent discussed the struggles her child had with executive functioning and the skills Serafino provided to enable her to be more successful to the point that her child still talks about Mr. Serafino to this day.
Other parents said Serafino “radiates positivity, enthusiasm, and seems so genuinely happy” and another nominator mentioned that her “son comes home happy, excited to tell us about his day.”
A colleague said, “when you walk by the room you see a class full of students engaged with their teacher and their work. Students love being in the room and Sean is an amazing resource for the staff.”
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